AIR TRANSPORT
Bendix/King ready to
test windshear radar
BY GRAHAM WARWICK
IN ATLANTA
In-service flight evaluation of a Bendix/King weather radar,
modified to detect windshear, is
set to start shortly on a Conti
nental Airlines Airbus A300.
Flight tests on board a Con-
vair 580 have already confirmed
the modified radar's ability to
detect microbursts, the meteoro
logical phenomena producing
windshear, says Bendix/King.
The US Federal Aviation Ad
ministration has required that,
by the end of 1993, some form
of windshear detection be in
stalled in all US airliners carry
ing 30 passengers or more.
While most airlines have opted
for reactive systems, four carri
ers have been granted extensions
to the 1993 deadline so that they
can test predictive systems.
Reactive systems are triggered
when windshear is encountered,
and provide escape guidance,
while predictive systems provide
advance warning of microbursts,
thereby allowing windshear to
be avoided.
Bendix/King's air-transport
avionics division has developed
a forward-looking windshear de
tection/avoidance capability for
its RDR-4A Doppler weather
radar. This uses the radar's abil
ity to measure raindrop velocity
to determine actual horizontal
wind. The goal is to provide the
30-60s advance warning re
quired to avoid windshear areas.
In flight tests on board the
Convair 580 between May and
October 1991 "...the system cap
tured confirmed windshear ac
tivity", says Bendix/King. On a
10 October flight from Fort Lau
derdale, Florida, the radar de
tected an isolated microburst at
a range of 18km (lOnm), the
presence of which was con
firmed by ground sensors.
According to Bendix/King,
horizontal shear was estimated
at 0.013m/s/m, producing a haz
ard factor greater than 0.11
where the currently accepted
hazard-factor threshold is 0.1.
The left "WX Velocity" image
shows the relative speed of radar
returns with respect to the
ground — blues and greens indi
cating movement towards the
aircraft, oranges and reds move
ment away. The right "DBZ"
image shows radar reflectivity,
with yellow indicating light driz
zle (lmm/h) and red showing
heavy rainfall (16mm/h).
Bendix/King plans to certifi
cate its predictive windshear sys
tem in 1992. Airlines investigat
ing predictive systems have until
the end of 1995 to install those
systems, the company says.
Windshear data would be pre
sented on the radar display in
terms of calculated hazard fac
tor: green for mild hazard, yel
low for medium and red for
dangerous. An aural "windshear
ahead" alert would be generated
when an area exceeding the yel
low threshold is detected be
tween 5km and 9km ahead of
the aircraft. •
The microburst is shown centred about 15km ahead of the aircraft
•
\
• ma -•
DAA 92 UNDERGOES TESTING
A l:7.25-scale model of the Deutsche Aircraft-Aerospatiale-Alenia DAA
92 regional aircraft has carried out high-lift system performance and
tail and elevator efficiency tests at the Deutsch-Niederlandischer
Windkanal (DNW) windtunnel in Germany. Detailed flow-visualisation
studies were also made, using ultra-violet illumination of very fine tufts
on wings and tailplanes. "Further testing is foreseen in 1992," says the
Germany concern.
Bangkok Airways speeds up expansion
Bangkok Airways is planning to go public in mid-1992.
The Thai regional carrier is also
bringing forward plans to ac
quire jet aircraft to add to its
expanding turboprop fleet.
Director of finance and ad
ministration Paichayon Uatha-
vikul says: "We have engaged
TISCO, one of the leading Thai
finance companies, to advise us
on the new regulations for list
ing on the Stock Exchange of
Thailand. We have a plan to be
listed by August 1992."
Bangkok Airways will have its
full registered capital of Baht
220 million ($8.8 million) paid
up by early 1992, and it is then
planned to double the registered
capital to Baht 440 million.
This year will see Bangkok
Airways expanding substantially.
Two new domestic destinations
are planned to come on line in
April, and four ex-Thai Interna
tional Shorts 330s and two 360s
have been bought for Baht 95
million, along with a second
Embraer Bandeirante. Plans for
the lease of a small jet —
probably the Boeing 737-500 or
the Fokker 100 — have also
been brought forward, with a
decision on the type imminent.
The jet will be used on the
increasingly busy Bangkok-
Phnom Penh and Bangkok-Ko
Samui routes.
Bangkok Airways' private air
port at Ko Samui is undergoing
a Baht 150 million expansion
programme to enable it to han
dle larger aircraft by late this
year. It is also embarking on the
construction of its second pri
vate airport, near the ancient
capital city of Sukhothai. The
Baht 300 million project is due
to be completed during the next
three years. •
Airbus on line to
show large profit
Airbus Industries is expected to announce a profit close
to $220 million this year,
according to a report by Klein-
wort Benson Securites, the Brit
ish financial institution.
In an examination of the
airframe manufacturer Kleinwort
estimates that in 1990 the first
profit made by Airbus totalled
$110 million, after the repay
ment of $400 million of devel
opment funding. Profits for
1991 will be about double the
previous year's figure after a
much higher development-fund
repayment.
Revenue is also calculated to
make spectacular gains rising
from $4 billion in 1990 to an
expected level of $7 billion this
year and $14 billion-15 billion
by the middle of the decade. •
10 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 8 - 14 January. 1992